Youth serving up plenty on No. 8 Florida State’s defense

The names changed dramatically on defense this offseason as Florida State lost seven starters, including first-round picks Bjoern Werner and Xavier Rhodes, to the NFL.

There are still plenty of veterans with experience, notably seniors like corner Lamarcus Joyner, safety Terrence Brooks, linebackers Christian Jones and Telvin Smith. But while they are the backbone of the defense, a group of newcomers have emerged to support the veteran leaders.

As FSU coach Jimbo Fisher likes to say, “play don’t care who makes it.” Grammar aside, Fisher knows that he has some talented freshmen and sophomores. And they’re making plays.

“Ability is never the issue,” Fisher said. “It’s just about technique and assignments and just getting the playing time to relax and do what you do, taking it from the practice field to the game field.”

Linebacker Terrance Smith had just nine tackles last season as a freshman. But Smith stepped in against Bethune-Cookman for Jones, who was serving a one-game suspension for a violation of team rules, and the sophomore linebacker had 12 tackles and a sack in Florida State’s 54-6 rout of the Wildcats.

Smith did that from the start, recording eight tackles by halftime. He had a tackle on the first play of the game, stopping a screen pass from Quentin Williams to Alex Monroe for no gain.

Later in that drive, Smith sacked Williams for an 8-yard loss. It was Smith’s first career sack, and it set up a third-and-16 — which ended with Telvin Smith’s 68-yard interception return for a touchdown.

“My whole goal was to make the best of the opportunity,” Terrance Smith said. “I was able to come up and make some big tackles.”

It’s been the same story across FSU’s defense. Freshman defensive end Chris Casher didn’t have a tackle in the first two games, but he finished with 10 tackles in the win over Bethune.

Casher sat out 2011 as a senior in Mobile, Ala., due to high school transfer rules. And then he suffered a knee injury and missed the 2012 season at FSU. Of all the players, Casher appreciates the playing time — and soreness — that goes along with it.

“The next day I was pretty sore,” Casher said. “And I was like, ‘Yeah, I’m playing football again.’ … I feel like I’m becoming who I want to be. I’m not there yet. I feel like I’m heading in the right direction.”

Two true freshmen linebackers have also seen significant playing time. E.J. Levenberry had five tackles against Bethune. And Matthew Thomas also had three tackles and a sack against the Wildcats.

“He’s just a player,” Telvin Smith said. “He has a knack for finding the ball and a knack for making plays.”

True freshman Jalen Ramsey has 12 tackles, an interception and a safety this season. He has mostly played corner, but he will now start at safety against Boston College because Tyler Hunter (neck) is out.

“He can play both (positions) and we’ve been training him at both,” Fisher said of Ramsey. “He’s so smart. He’s got a chance to be a very good player.”

FSU has held Pittsburgh, Nevada and Bethune to just 26 total points. It’s still early, but the Seminoles are again a top-10 defense despite the loss of so many starters to the NFL.

With so many freshmen and sophomores starting or playing early, it’s a perfect recruiting tool for Fisher and his staff: come to Tallahassee and play right away. And it also reminds the juniors and seniors that the new kids are pushing for playing time.

“It shows that the coaches are not looking at seniority or anything like that,” Telvin Smith said. “You have to perform every time you come out on the field. And that’s what we love.”